The Latte Effect~Does It Affect YOU?

[MomAndDadStayHomeFullTime]

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[Lady M]

There was a time when I had regular expenses I could cut back on, but I've already cut them all out so there's nothing left to get rid of! LOL I'm pretty immersed in the frugal lifestyle at this point. I've decided that unless it's free, I'm not going to buy laundry detergent anymore because I can make enough laundry detergent to last us for 6 - 8 months in about 15 minutes and it'll cost 1/2 a penny a load, whereas the cheapest I've been able to buy it with sales/coupons is about 5 cents a load. I know that 4.5 cents isn't much, but for me it's more about the princible of the matter -- I don't want to pay 10 times more for something than I have to.

Eating out used to be my biggest "nickle and dime" expense. Hubby and I would drop $9ish to go through a drive-thru because we'd be out and got hungry. That would happen once or twice a week -- for math's sake we'll split the difference and say 3 times every 2 weeks. That's $54 a month and $702 a year in fast food! Now we keep water and snacks in the car so we don't have to hip up a fast food joint.

Ever since we created a budget, we've been much better about not spending a dollar here and a dollar there. It's really cutting out the little stuff that saved us so much money. We budget $80 a month for us to spend as a couple. We eat out with coupons and don't spend more than $15 when we go out to eat. We buy movie tickets when they're on sale for $5 or less and make a habit of going to the movies on Tuesdays because that's when the local theater has $2 tickets.

Our newest money saving change is giving up soda. We both really like diet soda, but the problem is that when it's in the house we'll drink 1 - 2 two liters a day (figure 1.5 for math's sake). Even on sale for $0.79 each, that's a little over $35 a month ($432 a year!) on soda! So, we only buy beverages that work out to be $0.40 or less for a 2 liter, which means that I drink a lot of generic Crystal Light. Soda isn't really off limits; we just get it more infrequently. I got diet soda last week because I was able to get a 12pack of cans for $1. That's still a lot of money monthly/yearly on drinks, but it's half what we were spending before.

I should probably stop rambling now, huh? I'm not crazy, I tell ya, I'm just cheap! LOL

[fabulouswon]

Luckily we don't live near a Star Bucks..I think McDonalds coffee and capacinnos are gross so I too have a Keurig and a Tassimo and I love them both. Good for you making the switch. Hey, last night I made my own detergent and at .01/load it's worth checking out! The video will be up on my blog, Fabulous Won, later today after my laundry gets done and final results are in. Enjoy!

[blinky]

I'm sooooo there! I'm so addicted to Starbucks, and I just keep finding new drinks to try all the time! My friend said it best when she said that it still feels like a treat every time!

I've also been making my coffee drinks at home and I just figured out how to work the milk steamer on my cappucino machine! haha Even so, I still have a terrible time resisting Starbucks. I try to only buy a drink once or twice a week.

From a financial standpoint, I've heard the "gurus" say that the occasional cup of coffee isn't going to ruin your finances, so I say Enjoy!

Blinky :-)

[rachel.LA]

Starbucks is my weakness, but thankfully the nearest one to me is about 30 miles away!

[lwilber]

I am far too frugal to spend $4 on a fancy coffee. I buy them for my husband if we have a gift card. I usually get a drip coffee for myself.
My big "penny pinching" change in recent years is not going to the movies at the "real theater" (as my kids call it). We wait a few weeks after the release and the movies come to a local place where kids are $1 and adults are $3. For our family it cost less than 1 ticket at Regal.

[TaraLinzee]

the coffee doesnt have to be fancy. When I met my boyfriend he was getting breakfast from Dunkin Donuts every morning, which worked out to be $100 a month!!!! Needless to say I converted him and now he happily eats homemade frozen breakfast burritos and cereal that I pack up for him to take.

[The Family CEO]

I could save some serious money if I would break my Diet Dr. Pepper habit. I would tell you how many I drink a day, but then I'd have to kill you.

To make matters worse, I have to have it over ice and the bagged ice that you buy at the grocery store at that. I know...such a princess.

[simpleflair]

I love starbucks coffee but I don't need to have it everyday. My husband and I invested in a coffee maker that has a grinder so we can always get freshly brewed coffee anytime we want. It's like walking into a coffee shop every morning. ;o)

[Trippies]

I used to do the same thing, starbucks was literally one of my HIGHEST non-bill expenses.
The very reason I joined the MLM business I'm in is because the product involved is Gourmet Coffee, infused with 100% organic Ganoderma, and it comes in black, LATTE, and mocha!

Im not going to advertise it, but its an amazing company and I've never been happier joining the coffee mlm family.





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